Full explanation was Monday. All of these are going to be collected here.
2. Was Abraham justified by faith or by works? Romans 4:2, James 2:21
I can’t believe someone was shameless enough to include this in a list of “contradictions.” Critical Reading 101.
Romans 4:2//
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
James 2:21//
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
Those two sentences look like a contradiction, sure, but any two statements pulled so grossly out of context could be made to look like a document contradicts itself. All we have to do here is read the whole paragraph in James 2:
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. … 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
Abraham was justified by faith. How do we know he had faith? He acted on it. Anyone can say they have faith, but it doesn’t matter if you aren’t willing to act on it. I can say that I believe a chair will support me, but if I refuse to sit on it my “faith” has no effect. I can say I love my husband, but if I never act on it, do I really?
Verse 20 above says “… faith without works is dead.” Faith is not faith if you don’t act on it.
Verse 23 goes on to quote the same verse that Romans is quoting when the supposed “contradiction” occurs, which is just dumb unless James meant to contradict Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Scripture tells us we’re not saved by “works,” that is, good deeds and sacrifices. You can’t earn salvation. This is what Paul was explaining in his letter to the Roman Christians. Abraham was considered righteous by God before he was circumcised, so righteousness is God’s work – that we get by our faith – not by the things we do ourselves.
Works of faith – acting on our faith – are not the same as good-deeds-that-I-hope-will-earn-my-salvation. They’re the evidence of true faith. James was pointing out that the way you act is evidence of what you really believe.
Abraham was saved by his faith, which was brought to bear by his corresponding act of obedience.
Thank you. However, I don’t see this as fully addressing the topic.
Paul refers to justification apart from works, which you don’t reference.
James refers to a justification through works (of faith).
And this apparent tension is not fully explained; nor is James’ meaning.
You also seem to be confusing justification and salvation. These are NOT the same things! And even this scripture might indicate so:* Romans 10:10 NKJV – [10] For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Righteousness is not the same as justification either; though other versions may say there that one is justified. However, none that I checked use the word “justification”.
There is also something to be said about the word “by”. It is often a mistranslation, and must be checked every time when constructing doctrine. The Greek word means “through”, as I read it, and not necessarily “by”. “Through” and “by” can mean very different things.
Unless I missed it by skimming, I don’t see your post addressing the tensions and seeming discrepancy in the doctrine(s) of “justified”/”justification”. This could be an apparent, surface contradiction, or it could be a pointer that elohiym might justify different people differently. Keep in mind also the two covenants at work in the 1st Century, and note that James is addressing a certain audience, those apparently born under the Torah.
The assumption that there is only one way to justification is at work here too, something that the Bible collection might not actually teach, as it also doesn’t teach a lot of doctrines that have strangled the churches for millennia.
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* Depending on the interpretation.